Method of and apparatus for manufacturing artificial fuel



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet, 1.

G. Y. SMITH. METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING ARTIFICIAL FUEL.

No. 425,350. Patented Apr. 8, 1890.

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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet, 2. G. Y. SMITH; METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING ARTIFICIAL FUEL.

No. 425,350. Patented Apr. 8, 1890.

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Patented Apr. 8,1890.

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GEORGE Y. SMITH,OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING ARTIFICIAL FUEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 425,350, dated April 8, 1890. Application filed December 17, 1889- Serial No. 334,102. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE Y. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inthe Method of and Apparatus for Manufaci uri n g Artificial Fuel; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appcrtains to make and use the same.

In many parts of the country, owing to the absence of timber and to the long distance from beds of coal, the question of fuel is of paramount importance, and it has been a problem to devise ways and means for meeting the demands in this line. In these sections of. country agriculture is the principal occupation followed by the inhabitants, and on every farm will be found large stacks of straw, fodder, and other fibrous material, which are often allowed to go to waste. In

these sections peat beds orbogs are also commen, and the products of these beds would make excellent fuel if properly prepared for utilization.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a method of and portable apparatus for manufacturing artificial fuel fromfibrous material, which apparatus can be hauled around the country in the manner now common with thrashing-machines and other analogous devices. It is obvious, however, that the plant could either be stationary or portable; but for convenience of transportation I have shown it as of the latter form.

My apparatus comprises a series of devices for accomplishing the purpose set forth, and is shown as carried by a truck, wagon, or other vehicle.

The fibrous material to be converted into fuel is fed by means of rolls or other equivalent appliances to a cutter for separating it into small pieces or fragments, which drop into a vat or receptacle in communication with a tank containing oil or other inflammable liquid intermixed withother ingredients. IVhile. in this vat the material is thoroughly saturated with the inflammable ingredients,

is commingled therewith and at the same time fed longitudinally of the vat by a revolving agitator-screw mounted therein, and passes between a pair of rollers, which express all superfluous oil and deliver it in the shape of a flat sheet to a device consisting of a cylinder and concave armed with teeth for breaking up and thoroughly disintegrating the material. The mixing-vat is surrounded by. a chamber, in which steam is introduced for the purpose of keeping the contents of the vat in the proper condition, and the rollers at the end of the vat are hollow and are heated by steam to prevent them from chilling the material. An elevator conveys the material disintegrated by the cylinder and concave through a case which forms the outlet of a fan-box and delivers it into a hopper, from which it is fed by rollers or other equivalent devices to a contrivance for pressing it into the form of bricks or blocks, the completed bricks being delivered from this contrivance upon an endless belt, which conveys them to the desired place. As the material is carried up by the elevator, it is slightly cooled by the blast from the fan-box and is thereby placed in proper condition to be molded into the form desired.

The invention consists in the method of and apparatus for manufacturing artificial fuel, as will be hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like symbols denote like parts throughout the several views, Figure 1 is a plan view, partly in section, of an apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section thereof. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of a iank inwhich the oiland other inflammable ingredients are mixed and prepared. Figs. 4 and 5 are detail views of the molds in which the material is compressed into brick form.

A is a wagon, truck, or other vehicle, upon which the parts of my apparatus are shown tionary wings projecting from the inside of the tank.

f is a steamchamber surrounding the tank, and f is the steam-delivery pipe.

f is a pipe communicating with tank F and serving to deliver its contents into vat E, and f is a cock or valve in said pipe.

G is a feed-screw located in vat E and provided with wings or agitators g. The shaft of said screw is provided with a gear-wheel g in mesh with another gear g on a trans' verse shaft-g H H are hollow rolls located at and closing the inner end of conical vat E, said rolls serving to compress the material exuding from the vat into sheet form and to express all surplus oil therefrom, which oil runs back into the vat.

I is a toothed cylinder working in conjunction with an adjustable concave J, said cylinder an'dconcave serving to break up and disintegrate the sheet as itissues from between the rolls.

jj are bolts and slots for adjusting the concave.

K is an elevator, shown as of the belt kind,

provided with cups k k, which receive the dislntegrated material falling from the concave J and deliver it to a pair of rolls M M, mounted in a hopper N, located over the compressing mechanism.

is afan mounted in a fan-case O, which not only surrounds the fan, but is extended up over the elevator-belt.

P and P are wheels or drums provided with registering recesses or pockets p p, which receive the material from hopper N and press or mold it into brick form.

p are compressing-pistons in the pockets of wheel P.

19 19 are rods loosely mounted in wheel P and attached to each piston 1J p is a stationary cam, over the surface of which the rods travel and which serves at the proper time to drive the piston forward and force the contents of filled pocket 1) into the filled pocket 1).

10 is a block with a threaded opening for receiving a screw 1), by which it can be adjusted back and forth to vary the position of the piston in the pocket. (See Fig. 5.)

p are compressing and discharging pistons in the pockets of 'wheel P, and p and p are stationary cams for actuating said pistons.

Q is an endless delivery-belt located below the forming-wheels.

R is a steam-pipe coupled to a two-way con that the exhaust-steam from such engine will be utilized to heat the tank,'vat, and rolls. Power is applied by a belt from the engine to a pulleyl on one end of the shaft iof the cylinder I. On the other end of said shaft is a spur-gear 2 and sprocket-wheels 3 and 4. A

sprocket-chain 5 connects wheel 3 with a similar gear on the cutter-shaft d. Spur-gear 2 engages with a gear 6 on shaft 1, carrying pulley L, said shaft being also provided with another gear 7, which drives a train of gears38 9 10 for actuating the forming-wheels P and P. is provided with a sprocket-gear 11, from which a chain passes to a gear 12 on the shaft h of roll H and to a gear 13 on the end ofshaft gf. 14 is a sprocket-wheel on the other end of shaft h, from which a chain 15 passes to a sprocket-gear 16 on the end of feed-r0110. The fan-shaft 0 is driven from wheel 4 on shaft 1' by suitable sprocket-gearing, (see dotted lines in Fig. 2,) andthe rolls M M in hopper N are driven by sprocket-gearingfrom the shaft on which wheels 8 and 9 are mounted.

Shaft 17 of the mixing-tank is provided with On the end opposite spur-gear 6 shaft 1 distinctly to be understood that the parts could be geared up in any appropriate manner within the province of the skilled mechanic, and that they could be arranged in otherpositions than those shown withoutdeparting from my invention.

In operation petroleum residuum or other oil rich in hydrocarbons, pitch, resin, and it may be other in flammable materials, are placed in tank F, and while being reduced to afluid condition by steam introduced in chamber f are thoroughly stirred and intermixed with each other by the rotary blades and stationary wings. Straw, peat, or other analogous fibrous material placed on platform Bfis advanced to roll 0 and fed forward to cutter D, by which it is cut into short bits or pieces, which drop into vat E. Tank F is located at the desired height above vat E, so that when cock f is turned the oily mixture can flow from said tank and be incorporated with the short pieces of material in the vat. Screw G thoroughly stirs the material in the vat until it becomes saturated with the oily mixture,v and at the same time continually feeds it along until it is seized by the hollow steam heated rolls H 'H, which compress thematerial into the form of a flat sheet and also eX- press all. surplus oil therefrom and permit it to return to the vat. As the sheet of material exudes from between the rolls, it is caught between the toothed cylinderand concave and is thoroughly broken up and disintegrated,-

the fragments falling upon and being received by the cups of the elevator-belt. As the ma terial may still be in a too fluid condition to be pressed into brick form, it is subjected to a blast of cold air from the fan as it is being carried up by the elevator-buckets, which sufficiently cools and sets it to enable the succeeding steps successfullyio be carried out. From the buckets the material drops into hopperN and between the rolls M M, from which it passes to the forming-wheels P P, where it is pressed into the form of bricks or. blocks, which are delivered upon the traveling apron or belt and are conveyed thereby to the desired place. 7

\Vhile I have shown an apparatus for carrying out the various steps of my improved method, yet itis to be understood that it can be successfully practiced by other means or by hand.

No claim is made herein to the formingwheels provided with registering peripheral molds containing radially-movable pistons adapted to compress the contents of the two molds into one when in registration, as these are set forth and claimed in an application filed by me July 29, 1889, Serial No. 318,992.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is- 1. The method of manufacturing artificial fuel, consisting in first severing fibrous material into short bits or pieces; second, thoroughly mixing and saturating the same with oil or other inflammable mixture; third, com

pressing this material to free it from surplus oil; fourth, disintegrating the compressed material, and, fifth, molding or pressing it into the form of bricks or blocks, substan tially as and for the purpose specified.

2. The method of manufacturing artificial fuel, consistin gin first mixing and saturating fibrous material with an inflam mable mixture; second, compressing the material into the form of a fiat sheet and expressing the surplus mixture therefrom; third, disintegrating the sheet; fourth, cooling the disintegrated material, and, fifth, compressing it into the form of bricks or blocks.

3. The method of manufacturing artificial fuel, comprising the following steps: first, cutting fibrous material into short bits or pieces; second, thoroughly mixing and saturating these pieces with oil or other inflammable material; thi rd, compressing the material fourth, breaking up and disintegrating the material; fiftlncooling the same, and,sixth, molding it into the desired form, substantially as set forth.

4. An apparatus for the manufacture of artificial fuel, comprising means for feeding and severing fibrous material into short bits or pieces, a vat or receptacle for receiving said pieces, and means therein for mixing and incorporating them with an oily mixture, and rollers at the end of said vat for compressing the material into the form of a fiat sheet and expressing the surplus oil therefrom, substantially as set forth. 1

5. An apparatus for the manufacture of artificial fuel, comprising means for feeding fibrous material and for severing it into short bits or pieces, a vat for receiving said pieces in communication with a tank containing a supply of oil or other inflammable material, a screw in said vat for thoroughly mixing-and incorporating the ingredients, rollers at the end of the vat for compressing the material into the form of a flat sheet and expressing the surplus oil therefrom, and a toothed cylinder and concave for breaking up and disintegrating said sheet, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. An apparatus for the manufacture of artificial fuel, comprising means for severing fibrous material into short'bits or pieces, a steam-heated vatcontaining a supply of oil for receiving said pieces, a screw in said vat for mixing and feeding along the contents of said vat, and a pair of steam-heated rolls at the end of said vat, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7. An apparatus for the manufacture of artificial fuel, comprising means for mixing fibrous material with oil or other inflammable substance, rollers for compressing the material into sheet form, a toothed cylinder and concave, an elevator, and means for delivering a blast of air upon the material as it is being carried up by the elevator, substantially as set forth.-

8. In. an apparatus forlthe manufacture of artificial fuel, the combination of a steamheated vat, afeed-screw in said vat, rollers at the end of the vat, a toothed cylinder and concave, an elevator, a fan and fan-case, and devices for molding the material delivered by the elevator, substantially as set forth.

9. A portable apparatus for manufacturing artificial fuel, comprising the following instrumentalities in combination: devices for feeding and severing fibrous material into short bits or pieces, a vat for receiving said pieces, a feed-screw in said vat, rollers at the end of the vat, means for breaking up and disintegrating the material delivered from the rollers, an elevator, a fan and fan-case,

and a pair of wheels having devices for molding the material, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

10. The combination, with a wheel having a peripheral mold, of a radially-movable piston in said mold, a block having a threaded opening between the piston and the bottom Wall ofthe mold, and a screw having its head by the elevator, substantially as and for the IO seated in the piston and its threaded portion purpose specified. entering said block substantially as and for In testimony whereof I affix my signature the purpose set forth. in presence of two witnesses.

' 11. An apparatus for manufacturing artificial fuel, comprising a vat, a feed device in GEO.- Y. SMITH. said vat, rollers at the end of the Vat, a Witnesses:

toothed cylinder and concave, an elevator, WM. H. BLODGETT,

and device for molding the material delivered A. H. OPSAHL. 

